Assigjoii of osfe-ualf to



J. CONWAY.

VBH'IGLB'AXLB lxUILOCK. i No. 319,791.` I PatentQd'JuIie 9,1885. 4

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pplcationfiied April 16, i885. (No model.)

To ail whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JEssE CONWAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Axle Nut-Locks, of which the following My invention relates to improved means for preventing airlennts from accidentally coming off. v

The axle-arm on which the wheel turns is provided at the end with a screw-thread, and.. a nut on the thread serves to retain the wheel on the axle-arm. It is the object of this invention to provide means for coniining this nut in order tliatit may not accidentally come off. r l y i The invention is illustrated. in thev accompanying drawings, in which Figure l shows an axle of a vehicle of the kind to which my invention is applied. Fig. 2 is asection of axle arm and nut, showing the improvement. Fig. Sis a side view of axle arm, nut, and key. Fig. 4 is an end view of the axle-arm. Fig. 5 is a front view of the nut.

The axle A has the arm b, on which the hub of the wheel turns. At the end of the axlearni is the usual screw,c, and the wheel when on the arm is retained by the nut D. The nut has a crown, e, provided with a central hole7 f, of some polygonal form, preferably foursided, as shown. The crown of the nut may be rounded or flat. A short bolt, (l, occupiesA the central hole in the crown, and a spring, h, on the inner side of the nutAcrown e, operatcS t0 press the bolt inward O1 toward lthe axlearni. The outer end of the short bolt has a slot, g, to receive the point of a suitable key, by means of which itlmay be retracted or drawn ont. The outer' side of the nut-crown e has a groove, i, extending crosswise, with which the slot y' in the bolt coincides. By this construction, the end of the bolt may be Aflush with the outside ofthe crown e, and the point of the keyr may be passedl along the groove t', and thereby enter the slot y of the bolt, uponwhich the `latter may he retracted. p

The end ofthe axle-arm has a central socket, k, of the sanne form or having the same number of sides "as the short bolt g. The socketl may have four, six, or more sides. The num ber of sides is immaterial, the object of the Aployed to retract the bolt from the socket and to hold it ont while screwing the nut on or ofi". in the present instance a crescent-shaped key, L, is employed. widestrat the center, and therefrom gradually tapers both ways to the two points a. Either one oi' these points may be entered in the slot g" of the bolt, the other point at the same time servinf-r as a handle or ras )art bv o a v l 7 which to force it into the slot. Asy the key gradually widens from the points to the center, the effect of forcing itinto the slot of the holt is to retract the said bolt. When the f bolt is thus withdrawn, the nut maybe turned 7,5

to screw it on or off the africa-rm. This form' of key affords a special advantage Ain that -it k may be inserted without diliiculty, although the rim of the wheel-hub may project beyond the nut. key may be preserved without its having two points. One point is suiiicient. It is immaterial what shape the other end has. Vhile this key has advantages, other forms may bel used.

Having described inyinvention, I claim and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States-4 f l. A vehicle axle having a screw thread and in its end a socket, in combination witha go' nut'having a crown and provided with a eentral bolt to enter the said socket and confine the nnt to the screw-th read, as set forth.

2. A vehiele axle having a screw-thread and in its end a socket, in combination with a 95 vnut having a crown and provided with a central bolt and a spring to press the bolt into 'the said socket, and thereby confine the nut to the screw-thread, as set forth.

3. The combination of a screw-thread and in its end a socket, a nutA having a crown with a central hole, and a bolt l V(See Fig. 3.) rlhis key is 61j Substantially the crescent shape of 8o i an axle-arm having look provided in its outer end with a slot and passing through the central hole into the socket, as set forth.

4. The combination of an axle-arm having a screw-thread and in its end a socket, a nut having a crown with a central hole, and a groove extending erossvvise7 and a bolt 'vprovided in its outer end with a slot and passing through the central hole into the socket, as set forth.

5. The combination of an axle-arm having a screw-th read and in its enda socket of polygonal form7 anut having a crown and a spring, and a polygonal-shaped bolt provided with a slot, as set forth;

6. The combination of an axle-'arm having a screw-thread and in its end a socket, a nut' having a crown7 a boltpassing from the crown into the said sooket and provided with aslot, and a key having substantially a crescent shape with a point at one end7 as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aix my si gnature in presence of4 two witnesses.

JESSE CONWAY.

Witnesses# J No. T. MADDoX, JOHN E. MORRIS.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 319,791, granted June 9, 1885, upon the application of Jesse Conway, of Baltimore, Maryland, for an improvement in "Vehiole-'Axle Nut-Locks, the name of the assignee of one-half interest in said invention, was written and printed John H. Conway, Whereas it should have been John 1V. Conway; that the proper corrections have been made in the les and records pertaining to the case in the Patent Oee, and should be read in the Letters Patent toy make the same conform thereto.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 23d day of J une, A. D. 1885.

H. L. MULDROW,

[SEAL-1 Acting Secretary of the Interior.

Oountersigned M. V. MONTGOMERY,

Commissioner of Patents. 

